At Citizens Advice SORT Group, we collect and use your personal information to help solve your problems, improve our services, and tackle wider issues that affect people’s lives. We only ask for the information we need, let you decide what you’re comfortable sharing, explain why we need it, and treat it as confidential.

We handle your personal information in line with data protection law and our confidentiality policy. For full details on how Citizens Advice nationally processes data, please refer to the National Citizens Advice Privacy Policy.

How We Use Your Data

Advice Services

We collect personal information to provide advice and support, meet legal obligations, and improve services. This may include your contact details, case details, and relevant sensitive data (e.g., health, ethnicity, or disability) with legal justification. Your information is kept confidential and only accessed when necessary. We:

• Only access it when we have a good reason.

• Only share what is necessary and relevant.

• Never sell it to anyone.

We may share limited data with funders or partner organisations where necessary, always in compliance with data protection laws. At times, we may use or share your information without permission if there is a legal basis, such as:

• Legal obligation – to comply with the law, e.g., a court order.

• Vital interests – to protect someone’s life, e.g., if a client is unwell.

• Legitimate interests – to carry out our charitable aims, e.g., research and statistical analysis.

• Public task – to deliver a government-funded service.

• Contract – if you work with us and we need details like bank information to pay you.

• Defending legal rights – e.g. if there is a complaint about our advice.

Research, Feedback, and Statistics

We collect anonymised data to improve services, monitor trends, and meet funding requirements. Any data shared for research is anonymised to protect your identity. We process this under legitimate interests, ensuring opt-out options where consent is required.

Recruitment and Volunteering

If you apply for a job or volunteer role with us, we collect personal information such as:

• Your name, contact details, and work history.

• References and right-to-work verification.

• If required for the role, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

This data is used solely for recruitment purposes and will be kept securely for only as long as necessary. We process recruitment data under contract and legal obligation where required.

Website Usage

We collect limited data, such as IP addresses and cookies, to improve website functionality. Data processing is based on legitimate interests, and consent is required for some website features.

How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain data for only as long as necessary:

• Advice records: 6 years

• Recruitment records (unsuccessful applicants): 1 year.

• Volunteer and employee records: Duration of engagement + 6 years.

• Feedback and survey responses: Kept only as long as needed to improve our services and meet reporting requirements. We regularly review this and delete data when it's no longer necessary.

Your Rights & How to Contact Us

You have the right to:

• Access your data.

• Request corrections if it’s wrong, out of date, or incomplete.

• Request deletion of your data.

• Ask us to limit how we use your data.

• Request a copy of your data in a format you can transfer to another service.

• Object to how we use your data.

For concerns or to make a data request, contact us:

Citizens Advice SORT Group
The Express Building
9 Ancoats Street
Manchester
M4 5AD

If you’re unhappy with our response, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at 0303 123 1113.

You can find more about your data rights on the ICO website.